San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, and offensive line coach and run game coordinator Chris Foerster spoke with reporters before Thursday's practice, as the team prepares for its Week 10 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Here is everything they had to say.
Transcripts provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
QB Brock Purdy
When you look at the Jaguars on defense, they take the ball away pretty well. What stands out to you when you watch them on film?
"Yeah, they're sound. They just do a good job, obviously, of creating turnovers. They do a good job within their pass rush and then sort of forcing the quarterbacks to put the ball up in the air. It seems like there's like space and stuff on film, but they're good at making you think that. And then in reality it's tight window throws and tip balls, and then that's where you see the interceptions and stuff from the year. So they're really good at it. So that's what I see so far."
Oftentimes you don't hesitate, you anticipate and just throw to a spot. I don't think all these recent interceptions have been a result of those type of plays. Does it make you in any way mentally a little more hesitant or anything or do you have to guard against interceptions make you more hesitant and not just ripping it like you did?
"No there's a fine line of being aggressive anticipating a throw, anticipating a window and then being able to hold it back and being smart with the ball. So that's stuff that I've had to be real with myself with the last couple weeks, just watching the games and stuff. I'm an aggressive kind of quarterback in terms of like anticipation and where my guys are supposed to be, I trust them, and I let it rip. But there's times where I've got to be smart with it and be willing to take the check down and depending on the point in the game and where we're at, the scenario, the situation all that comes into play. So I do have to be better at that for sure."
Do you feel like in looking back at some of those, when those have happened that you were pressing a little bit or did it just kind of happen with those interceptions?
"Honestly, I think it's sort of just happened. I'd say the Minnesota, the last one that was sort of pressing, like we needed it, we needed a big play, so that was that. But outside of that, I was just being aggressive regardless, like this last game with the second interception especially to B.A. [WR Brandon Aiyuk] just being aggressive, not thinking that backer is going to be in that window and sure enough, he was. So, it's like being smart in those situations, but do we get to a point in the game and I start thinking or pressing, no, just be smart. Fourth quarter comes around, you got to be smart with the ball regardless, no matter what the situation is in that point in the game."
What deal is it for you to get WR Deebo Samuel and potentially T Trent Williams back this week?
"Yeah, it's huge. Obviously you get the ball into Deebo's hands and he can do some crazy stuff and help our team out big time. So to have Deebo back will be huge. Trent as well, like, that's going to be awesome to have him and his experience as leadership and sort of just help out with everything, run game, pass game, like that's Trent's the best of the best. So to have two of those guys back and give a spark and bring that energy to our offense, it's huge."
Defensive Coordinator Steve Wilks talked about the increased energy this week. Did you feel that in practice? I know it was a light practice the last couple days.
"Yeah. That first bonus practice that we had, that was huge. You could just feel everyone excited to get back, get in the swing of things and get back into the groove. Then yesterday, I feel like we had a really good practice, just guys flying around and like I said, hungry to get on and move on from the last two weeks and ready to play a game again. So we're all excited for it."
What does this game mean to you, given what's going on the last few weeks here?
"Yeah, it's huge. We just need to win. We need to win. Have that feeling again of winning and then get on a streak and roll. The second half of the season's huge. First half was the first half. I feel like we all got rested up over the Bye Week and this is going to be a stretch that we all know is going to take what it takes. So this game is I think, huge for us in terms of getting started for the second half of the season."
How many days off did you take from throwing a football?
"All week, yeah."
First time probably since your rehab, I'm guessing?
"Yeah."
How did that go? How did your arm respond and how was it before it?
"Yeah, it was good. I feel like just not throwing and then lifting just start continuing to strengthen my arm off the field was huge. Then at practice it's felt really good. So with the however many games we played in the beginning of the first half of the season, your arm, you start feeling it, you get a little sore at practice and whatnot, but come game time, you're ready to roll. So having a week off for the second stretch was huge for me with my arm. So, yeah, that's the physical aspect."
How about the mental aspect? How much did you need it to like unplug versus also go back and watch tape and self-scout?
"Yeah, it's huge. Looking at the good, looking at the bad of the first half, how hot we started and then obviously the last three games of like, 'all right, what's going on'? What could we be better at, for myself especially? It was huge. But to be able to like step away from the game, take a breather, understand where we're at, what we have to do, it was huge for me to clear my mind and then come back like excited for the second half and for the stretch of some good football that we have to play. So I feel good."
Head Coach Kyle Shanahan talked about each week being a one-game season. Is that the mentality now and like this week and then you really don't even think about next week until next week?
"Yeah, a hundred percent that's how it is. Honestly I feel like that was the case last year, when we came off the Bye, we were hungry and almost like we were playing desperate every single week to win every single game, every Sunday. We just looked at it one game at a time and we're going to fight and claw and scratch one game at a time and it all fell into place how it needed to, so that's our mindset."
Do you think the team thrives a little bit on that?
"Yeah, I think so. Whenever we feel like our backs against the wall, I feel like we play some really good football. We're a talented team and once we are hungry and set our goals for something and we want it and we need it, like, yeah, I think we could do a lot. So that's where we're at."
What was your message to the team after the Bengals game?
"Yeah, just owning up to turning the ball over. How hard everyone puts their time and effort into this whole thing. The organization, the coaches, the players, everyone plays hard, there's no question, no doubt about that. So I just wanted the team to know and hear from my own mouth, face-to-face like, I got to be better. I own up to the mistakes that I've made and certain points in the game. I have to be smart with the ball. The quarterback is one of the most trusted guys in the organization because we get the ball in our hands every play to make a decision. So just owning up to that and understanding that I have to be better. So I just telling the guys that just came from the heart and that was it."
How did you spend your Bye Week and how do you hit a reset? Did it help or hit the reset for the rest of the year?
"Yeah went to Iowa. I was with my fiancé and her family on the farm, sort of just got away from everything and then went back to Iowa State for a game, saw everybody. Sort of have a perspective of, 'all right, this is life, this is what's going on.' Yeah, I'm playing in the NFL for the 49ers, but I still have a good life with my fiancé and everything to come. So it was good just to be able to breathe and get my mind and my thoughts, everything together and regroup for what's to come for the second half of the season. So it was good for me."
You talked to the team after the game?
"I've talked a couple times after but that one was more just like owning up to some of the decisions that I've made and stuff with the ball. So a little bit different vibe."
Did DL Chase Young kind of also give you guys a shot of adrenaline? Have you noticed that?
"Yeah obviously just his presence being around and then when you get on the field it's like, 'dang, we got another guy on the edge who can do some damage.' And so for all of us it's like we have the talent, we have the guys, and it's almost like, yeah, we sort of want to show Chase like the ropes. This is who we are, this is what we believe in and how we do things and he fits right in, so we're excited to have him."
On this like three game losing stretch, who did you reach out to for advice? Did guys like Former QB Joe Montana and Former QB Steve Young reach out to you?
"Yeah, for this, it's really just been the guys in this building, for the most part, I'd say. It's tough when you're on the outside like looking in just because like we all can relate within the building. We know what's going on, we know the truth to things. So the guys in this building have been the ones being able to reach out to me and tell me what's going on and their belief in me and stuff like that. So that's where I'm at with that."
Defensive Coordinator Steve Wilks
Opening comments:
"It's been a little minute since I've seen you guys, it's good to be back into the fold. Most importantly coming off the Bye Week, I think it was at the perfect time for us as a team, particularly as a defense. Getting back this week, I saw a difference in the guys, just a great level of energy. It seemed like they were recharged, refreshed mentally, as well as physically. I think they're ready to go. We've had a good week of practice thus far. We've got to finish on the right note today and tomorrow before we get on the plane. We're playing a good football team, a real good football team, a playoff team that I think is well coached. They have some dynamic football players. [Jacksonville Jaguars RB Travis] Etienne [Jr.] in my opinion, is one of the top backs, he probably doesn't get the recognition that he deserves, but three-down back that can make it happen in all phases of the game. When you look at the tight end, he's phenomenal. [Jacksonville Jaguars TE Evan] Ingram, what can't he do? When you watch him on tape, he does it all. He's out at number one receiver. They put him in a slot, in-line blocking for the run game. I think he's phenomenal. Of course, [Jacksonville Jaguars WR] Christian Kirk, had drafted him in Arizona, still playing at a high level. Definitely got to know exactly where he is at all times. I think really he has revitalized his career going down there with [Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach Doug] Pederson. He is doing some good things. When you look at the quarterback he does a great job, number one, protecting the football. He doesn't turn it over and I think they have a great balance in running and passing and not trying to put a lot on him. He does an extremely great job as far as getting the ball out quickly. So giving an overview of those guys, we've got to go execute. It's about everything we do up front, number one, stopping this run game and when they are in opportunity where they're going to pass the football, we've got to execute on the backend. So with that, I'll take your questions."
You mentioned the energy this week, looking back before the Bengals game, was that noticeable to you that there was a dip in energy at that point?
"You could say that I noticed it, but we've got a good group and sometime fatigue sets in. So again, I thought it came at the right time. It has definitely never been a question of effort from our guys and how we practice. I think they go out and give us everything each and every day. But, when you look at nine weeks into it, I think it came at the right time."
Head coach Kyle Shanahan told us yesterday that you would move down to the field. What was kind of your input into that decision and how do you think it can help?
"Oh, I mean guys to me, just very candid, I think we're making a bigger deal out of it than it needs to be, to be honest. I just want to be able to communicate with the guys a little bit more during the game. Certain things that I'm seeing, I'd rather be able to talk to them directly than to communicate with coaches. I think our coaches do a great job, number one, throughout the week, but also in-game adjustments. That's one of the things that I've really pride ourselves on and how we communicate as a staff and making the right things throughout the game. So, it is just really with me just wanting to be able to communicate with those guys a little bit more."
You mentioned in the spring that you get a little too emotional or you wanted to kind of reign that in or whatever when you are on the field. Do you feel like maybe that can be a good thing though, that you can bring some of that emotion kind of back?
"Well to be honest, when you look at our guys, and I've been doing this for a while, I don't think that's part of what they're missing and what they need. Sometimes it can be good. I think we all feed off each other, coaches, we feed off one another. I feed off the players. So, it depends. But, I think it's more or less in the communication part that we can have that dialogue, direct face-to-face and try to make the adjustment that we need to make throughout the game."
With Etienne as you're looking at the film, what do you think has made him so successful this season?
"I think again, I think coach Peterson, Doug, does a good job just with the scheme and the things that they're doing. He has a lot of weapons around him that sort of complements him a little bit. Like I said, I rant and rave about the tight end and the receiving corps that they have. And he's a powerful runner and has the ability to be able to also take it outside and has good speed. So again, three-down back."
What does this game mean to you, given what's happened in the last three weeks?
"You know, I try to stay out of the past. When I say that, the obvious is the obvious, but dwelling on the past three weeks is not going to really change what we're trying to get done. And our focus been since we've been back it's just one at a time. Let's just go refocus ourselves to do what we've got to do to get this game. I think we know in the previous games we were there, we played hard. We've got to go execute. We've got to make plays when given the opportunity. I've got to do a better job again just putting them in better positions, which I think is going to help them go execute. But, third down has been hurting us. We've got to get off the field. We've had those guys in both games third and long, and all of a sudden, [Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe] Burrow great job of him being athletic, he gets out of it, third and long. Going back to Minnesota, opportunity to get off the field and we didn't and just sort of spiraled right there with the first drive. So those are things that we have to correct."
Two things if you could just clear up on the communication stuff. One, when you are upstairs, when you would be calling plays, you have to go through like linebackers coach Johnny Holland to get the plays into LB Fred Warner, correct?
"Mm-Hmm."
Was there any communication issues with that in terms of timing or anything?
"No, none whatsoever. Again, the coaches do a tremendous job in communicating with those guys. I just felt the need to be able to want to communicate directly, nothing with the coaches have been doing. Like I said before, doing a great job. I just want to feel a little bit more presence on the sideline."
Another part of that is in terms of different position groups, obviously you work a lot with the secondary and so I'm imagining those are the guys you want to speak more directly with?
"To be quite honest, I want to talk to all the guys because I have certain thoughts that are going through my mind as I'm sitting here going through the game and trying to call things. I'm looking at my call sheet and I say, 'man, okay, I'm thinking about this.' Well now I can go right over to the D-Line and say, 'okay, I'm looking to change this stuff, next series you know it could be with the back-seven for us, the pass concepts where we may be getting hurt on a certain route and it could be empty and I went, 'okay, I want to change this.' So again, it's just a little bit more dialogue coming directly from me."
It's not breaking news that the defense has not quite looked like itself the last three games. You've been receiving criticism or skepticism. You've been doing this for a while, I'm sure this is not new to you, but how are you handling this level of kind of personal adversity?
"I can honestly say I'm sort of built for this. Not in an arrogant way, but I've always believed, it's two things, it's what you hear and what you listen to. So, I hear a lot of the outside noise. I don't listen to it good or bad. As you mentioned, I've been doing this for a while and I understand the emotions of this game and what we play at this level. I try not to be emotional. We're five and three, the standard is so high here, right? We lost three in a row that everybody feels like the ceiling is collapsing on us. We're in a good position. We need to turn it around. We've got a lot of football ahead of us. We want to start progressing, get better in November and start playing our best in December. I've seen this, I've been around this, I can take it. I'm the new guy in. It is what it is. I have confidence in myself. Most importantly I have confidence in those players and the coaches that we're together and we're going to come through this."
How is DL Chase Young and how has his relationship with DL Nick Bosa helped him come along?
"Great relationship. Those guys, of course, as you all know, played together. I think he has truly come in and fit into the culture that these guys have set. I think Bosa has made that transition seamless for him. I think he's excited just because he's in a different climate, different element. He came in Washington and was thrust in a situation where he had to be a leader as a rookie and that's tough when you have no one to really look to the right or left of to try to pattern yourself out of. So, he has a lot of guys here in this locker room that he can lean on."
How are players able to communicate to you? Do they have to go to a coach or are they able to directly communicate with you when you're up there?
"Well, there's a lot of times either I talk to them either on the phone or I have the coaches put the headsets on. Again, it's just a great opportunity for me to be able to look at certain things on the Surface, the iPad, and then I can go directly to that guy and say, 'okay, this is what I'm seeing' and then we can have that dialogue and communicate and talk. I like to also know how they're seeing things in the flow in the course of a game. So that's going to allow me to be able to call certain things differently according to how they see it as well."
Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Chris Foerster
You've got some different guys on the line this week. How's the preparation going?
"With [OL Aaron] Banks down, yeah. He's doing a good job, preparation's been great. They always get work. The second team guys always get a handful of reps, every single team period. So, they'll always be prepared. [OL] Jon [Feliciano], for example, every week in some periods he'd get two at right guard, two at center, two at left guard. Other periods you'd get one at center, one at right guard, depending upon the length of the period. And then scout team, you take reps as well. So, at the end of the day, we make sure that those guys get almost as much work, as many reps as they would get if they were starters. They get them between the splitting time with the starters and the scout team. So, we try to always have them prepared that way so that when they do have to step in, they got a chance."
Do you think T Trent Williams will be back for the game?
"The injury thing's not – the ball's not in my court on the injury thing. So, whoever's there, we get them coached up and let's go play."
In the room when you guys are going through film and talking about practice, how much of a coach is he?
"Trent is, yeah. Here's a shocker. I talk a lot. I like to talk, I talk a lot in there. The way I coach is I kind of not just do this, I have to tell stories and I talk through the play and then every now and then I'll have an offshoot to tell a story about a player I used to coach and, just kind of like this thing turns out to be. But Trent will all of a sudden, if he's whispering over there in the corner to [OL] Jaylon [Moore] or [OL Colton] McKivitz or somebody, I'll just say, speak up and say what you're going to say. Well, I was just saying da, da, da. So, he's always looking, always thinking. He's always respectful and doesn't want to overstep his bounds. But I'm always like, Trent, just say what you want to say, man. And if I don't agree, he and I have a great relationship. I just say, Trent, I think I don't agree with you. And he may still disagree with me. We may agree to disagree, or later on he is like, I'm right. Or later on I'll say, no, you're right. That was a great idea. And often times the guys do it. I just want them to tell me because I've got a lot of answers, but I definitely don't claim to have them all."
We're at the halfway point here, how would you evaluate the way the right side of your line has played through the first eight games?
"It was really cool to do the study. I enjoyed it. I told [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] when I came back, I said, losing three games in a row, obviously, this is an NFL season. This is when you really find out what you're made of when you go through the tough times. And it's been really cool to – not cool, it's been interesting to see how we've come through it and where we're going to end up with this whole thing being where we are today. When you evaluate the guys, I said, you know what's really funny is, take [OL] Spencer Burford, for example, take Colton, they've gotten better. You watch the cut ups, you're like, gosh, look at him in Pittsburgh, look at him in I don't remember the second game, but look at him each week and then all of a sudden, look at him today. And then I remember last season and they've gotten better. Does it always show up in the stat line? You'd say, does it always show up in wins and losses, always show up in their production during the game? Not always, but yet you see the little things, the building blocks of what make a better football player. And I said it to Kyle the other day, I said, and here's another shocker – when we play football every day, they get a chance to get better. When they play in games, you get a chance to get better. All of a sudden, you take away football in the offseason, the developmental time, it's harder. And so, this is when they should improve. And if you go about it the right way, if they approach it the right way and you don't get stuck on wins and losses and stuck on how do we improve? And then what's that? What's my role in helping us win games? I'm very happy with their progress. You'll always hear me say, there's not a guy up there that's playing well enough. Everybody can get better, including me."
What does this upcoming game mean to you, given the fact that you're in the midst of a three-game losing streak?
"You don't want to lose more than one in row. I mean, you want to stack wins. No matter how you're playing, you just want to win games. This thing's about winning. And so, you have to win a game. And no matter what happens, it's the most important game. Right now, the most important thing is having a great Thursday practice and getting ourselves ready in this phase of what we prepare for because that's going to be the best thing to help us again and prepare again on Friday, prepare again on Saturday. That'll give us the best chance to have a chance to win the game on Sunday. But you have to do the things that takes in the situations. And that's normally what it comes down to. There's a handful of plays in situations that you do or don't execute that end up winning or losing game for the most part in the NFL. And it's very important, obviously, that you win every game."
How much do the issues in the running game the last few games have to do with opponents coming up and saying, we're taking this away, and how much of it has to do with there were lanes there, we just didn't hit them?
"I mean, it's almost been the same every week. We talked about it a couple weeks ago. We haven't had a chance to talk since the Cincinnati game. We talked about how the possessions went in the Minnesota game. We talked about the Cleveland game and how we were always behind the eight ball in second and longs. We never could get any rhythm going. And the Cincinnati game, what happened was, just let's start the second half, you come out, you have an eight, nine, 10-yard run, and then you get called holding. It's first and 20. We overcame it, but same thing happens the first play of the game, we get eight yards on a play or nine yards on a play, and then we run a power and we don't get a yard and we run a short yardage run and we don't get a yard. Now is that the fault of the run? Is that us? We didn't block it good enough. The defense played well, but we're not getting that next set of downs to keep that thing going and to get a couple more runs called. And then whatever's been going on, it's always a team thing. Whatever's going on as far as possessions, whatever's going on as far as time in the game, whatever's going on with score, it can kind of affect how you do things. So, I think it's not, I don't look at it as a bad trend because when I look at practice, when I study the cut-ups, it's not like, oh crap, so-and-so's not hitting the hole, or we're not blocking this guy or the defense is, oh my God, this is the hardest defense we've ever faced. No, it's not. It's just the way it's kind of falling right now and obviously, we have to do a better job. I said it last week as well, we've got to do a better job first and foremost because if we block better, create big holes, it's easier to run."
What's he challenge this week with Jacksonville's D-line? They have DL Travon Walker and LB Josh Allen off the edges. What do you see?
"Yeah, again, we face them every week it seems like, great pass rushes off the edge. So, Colton and the tackle Trent or Jaylon have a great challenge in front of them. Everybody has to do their part to help make sure that we keep our quarterback upright and doing what he has to do. They play great team defense, those guys are good players. The interior players, they haven't had the production with the sacks, but they pressure the quarterback and they're a very good team defense. They're very well-coached. They get to the ball. The last three defenses when you take all of them have been well coached, but you go back to Cleveland, Cleveland's one of the top defenses in the league. You look at how Cincinnati's team played last week and this team this week, very well coordinated. Good job. Minnesota's in the first year with [defensive coordinator Brian] Flores up there and they did a good job, but they're in a little different place in the development of their defense than those other three teams. These are really well coached defenses that are on point and there's not a lot of holes in them. So, you have to be really good at what you're doing and you have to make plays and convert so you can get more sets of downs. You get more sets of downs, you're going to have chances and that's what we have to be able to do."
You talked about playing good rushers every week. Is the depth of pass rusher around the league just at a different level than maybe it was?
"I don't know. I mean, yeah, it was funny the other day, Trent and I were talking, and he goes, I mentioned [HOF NFL defense end] DeMarcus Ware to these guys, and they don't even know who DeMarcus Ware is. That shocks him. So, I say that's what it's like getting old, bro [laughs]. But you sit there and he is like, hey, man, this guy, but you go through the league and everybody has somebody who flashes. I don't know that, it's hard to say. It's just the generational thing, it's the Kobe, Michael Jordan, it's the [HOF NFL defensive ends] Reggie White versus [HOF NFL defensive end] Bruce Smith versus the era of the guys today. It's just so hard to say, but there are a lot of talented rushers. I would say that college football, I guess they're throwing the ball more, and I don't know if they're or not, but seems like it. So, there's more chances to rush the passer. There's going to be more opportunities for guys to develop as pass rushers. And we get guys that are more developed as pass blockers than they are as run blockers. So, I think the whole game has kind of gone that way. So, there may be a few more, but I don't know if they're the elite, elite. But man, it seems like every week somebody has one. And you have to, I think that's where people invest their picks. Everybody knows if you can get after a quarterback, the best way to stop a good quarterback is if you can get in his face and rush him. And the more guys you have that can rush, the better the defense."
QB Brock Purdy mentioned addressing the team right after the Bengals loss. What struck you about his message?
"Oh, he's a great guy, great leader. And it was heartfelt. It wasn't lip service, in my opinion. That's what I liked about it. Whatever he would've said, it was heartfelt. He meant it. 'I touch the football every play, I'm responsible. I have to take care of the football.' I think that was the crux of it. I don't remember it all exactly, but I just like the fact that he's accountable and not afraid to say it's my fault. He's not pointing the finger at anybody, he's saying, 'I have to take responsibility for this. I have to make sure I do a better job. You guys have trusted me to do this, and I have to do better.' And it's the response you would hope a guy would have when things didn't go as well. To say it was his bad or whose fault, I'm not getting into all that. But at least in his mind, what he felt was his responsibility, he needed to do a better job of, and he addressed it with the team, which then, the elephant in the room, right? The elephant in the room is there were interceptions and they have cost us the last couple games or whatever it is that has happened. And he took accountability for it."
What did you think of playing DL Chase Young in the previous seasons?
"Chase Young was, I'm always involved in the draft process with the defensive line and the linebackers. And then Kyle knows to have me leave the room when the defensive backs show up because I'll fall asleep. But when the rushers are there, man, I'm there watching and I remember Chase coming out and I thought, Chase is a really, really good player. Great athleticism, great speed, great length. For whatever reason, it hasn't all come together consistently. You could make a cut, a highlight reel of the guy that's like, holy cow, this guy's phenomenal. But then the play in and play out, and I can't put my finger on it because we didn't play him that much over the last couple years – once or twice, so I haven't studied him that much. But he's a very good player and it's just a matter of, I think getting the opportunity to be consistent."
